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  <h1>Bags - Build Your Own Relations</h1>
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        <a href="source/bags/bags.html">Try out Bags now!</a>
        (beta release)
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    <p>Bags is a new drag-and-drop environment for learning about database query
    design and relational operations. It is currently under development at
    <a href="http://www.cs.jmu.edu/" target="_blank">James Madison University</a> by
    <a href="mailto:gorma2jp@dukes.jmu.edu">Jason&nbsp;Gorman</a>,
    <a href="mailto:gsellsl@dukes.jmu.edu">Sebastian&nbsp;Gsell</a>, and
    <a href="mailto:mayfiecs@jmu.edu">Chris&nbsp;Mayfield</a>.
    See our <a href="http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/mayfiecs/pubs/bags_sigcse14.pdf">
    SIGCSE 2014 Paper</a> and
    <a href="http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/mayfiecs/pubs/bags_slides.pdf">Slides</a>
    for more details.</p>

    <p>Relational algebra provides a theoretical foundation for how modern
    database management systems optimize and execute queries. Its main concepts
    are based on set theory and first order logic, which can be challenging for
    students to learn due to their abstract nature. Bags provides a hands-on way
    for engaging with these concepts. Inspired by educational tools like
    <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Scratch&nbsp;(MIT)</a> and
    <a href="http://snap.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank">Snap!&nbsp;(Berkeley)</a>, we have designed
    a new type of visual programming for the teaching of relational algebra.
    Students formulate algebraic queries by snapping together graphical blocks
    that represent data sets and relational operators, resulting in an
    interactive visualization of the underlying concepts.</p>

    <p><img src="images/tip.png" style="float: left;"> Check out
    <a href="http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/mayfiecs/cs101_13fa/wk-11/Lab11-Relational.html" target="_blank">
    Lab11 from JMU's CS 101</a> for an example classroom activity that features
    Bags. Additional teaching materials are under development and will be made
    available soon. Stay tuned!</p>

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